RIP Anthony Bourdain

"Those beer nerds are fucking merciless" Possibly one of his best quotes. Loved the shows and Kitchen Confidential is a must read for anyone who aspires to be a chef. So much truth in that book.

 

I enjoyed and respected Tony's writing, reports, and perspective on the world (thru the eyes of a true food lover), but he was no beer connoisseur. He basically drank what was handed to him.

He has said that he never wanted to focus his thoughts deeply on any booze because of his past history with addiction. He feared that if he spent too much time dissecting the nuances and flavor characters of alcohol (as he did food), he'd spiral into addiction again (paraphrasing, of course).

That said, I'll truly miss his insight through the outstandingly written and produced shows he made. I was already planning to watch his visit to Berlin this Sunday, but I have to wonder how it will come across now.

RIP Tony. Wish I'd had the opportunity to sit down to a meal with you.

 

No Reservations and Parts Unknown are my favorite shows/series primarily because of him. He was usually drinking and eating and sometimes even smoking during the shows. If you like drinking, eating, and traveling, these are def. shows for you. He never held anything back as far as what he said, which I thought was great as well. As another poster said, he did seem unhappy at times during some of the episodes. He was my dude. Very upsetting.

 

Was just about to post the same thing....

... and that's what I liked about him. He was just a beer drinker.

And, of course, he did make beer geek news at least one time:
Bourdain: Discovery killed (Dogfish Head TV show) 'Brew Masters' because big beer threatened to pull ads

And a former guest on one of his episodes tweeted a beer-related remembrance.

 

This is probably the most shocking and upsetting celebrity death of my lifetime. Some will say we should've all seen it coming, but I guess I'd hoped Anthony had gotten his demons as under control as one can.

I did not agree with him on everything, specifically on his general attitude toward craft beer as well as his opinions on third wave coffee, but he was the closest thing to a personal hero that I had (I don't really believe it's healthy to make people into heroes nor to devalue what heroism really is, plus Bourdain would certainly chastise anyone that claimed he was their hero). Anthony was a huge influence on my life and my desire to constantly challenge myself and my preconceived notions in all things. From him, I learned to never be satisfied or complacent and the importance of being honest even at the risk of being seen as rude or unkind (though, admittedly, he may have taken that too far at times).

The world has lost a great artist, journalist, foodie, culinary explorer, and cultural investigator. His curiosity and respect for all the varied cultures of the world will live on through all those whose lives he touched, directly or indirectly.

I'll be raising many a beer and whiskey to him tonight. Rest in peace, Anthony.

 

Its a real shame, the guy was a character and had some really interesting work.

I'm really sad that it was suicide too. Assuming it wasn't an accident it really sucks to think somebody like this can bring so many people joy and yet be so pained as to not have that same feeling of joy. Travesty really

 

Loving beer and being a connoisseur are two different things. Look up some of his quotes on beer (or any drink). He was really more into food than booze... except that trip he made to Croatia -- that wine struck a chord with him.

Watch the trip he made to the Czech Republic, he was drinking fresh lager and listening to the natives rave about it... (making me jealous as hell) and being very polite because he didn't get it.

This is not to slam him in any way, I understand his reasoning toward alcohol and have to respect that.*

*Edit: I mean really have to respect that. There, but for...

 

I always enjoy watching his shows, it was fun to see all the places he traveled and his feedback on everything. Seemed like a down to earth guy with no reservations about his words or actions. You either like him or hate him and he did not care, that is what I liked about the guy. I did not agree with him on everything he said and did but I respected his don't give a dam attitude and not changing to impress. Sort of a bummer to hear, he had a lot of years and a lot of things to give still, real shame he could not see the bright side over just ending it all.
Cheers

 

I fortunately had the chance to meet him when he was shooting a show in SF a number of years ago. (I got tipped off to when he'd be at a certain place, cuz I was connected to someone who worked there.)

We saw him filming his segment, but when it was done, he was standing around for a little bit so we decided to approach him. He was pretty cordial, shaking our hands, and bantering with us, not unlike his shows. We only talked to him for a few minutes before letting him head off to his next destination, but he totally was cool chatting with us and didn't treat us as annoyances or anything. Nice guy. And tall too.

He'll be missed.

 

Nice one.

More and more every day in today's society, it was just so refreshing to see someone like Bourdain as they are, no pretense, no censorship, no nonsense.

 

I generally don’t give a shit about celebrities but this is one I would have gladly had a beer with. No Reservations was a religious watch for me and Kitchen Confidential is a great read. I worked in midtown Manhattan for almost 2 decades and always hoped there’d be the slightest chance I’d bump into him while I was walking around (which I did a lot) and just shake the guy’s hand. RIP.

 

Tony liked to drink, but, as others have said, he wasn't a connoisseur of any alcoholic beverage. By his own admission, his tastes in them were quite simple. That doesn't take away from who he was as a person and how entertaining his shows were. He'll certainly be missed by many.

 

Or observer and reporter of life and culture -- he won a freaking Peabody Award, bet he never expected that in his early days!

 

I like this interview, this is why I enjoyed watching the guy. Just tells it as it is.

 

I have always enjoyed watching the Anthony Bourdain travel shows. He was the sort of guy I would have fun eating & drinking beer with.

I recall in one of his shows (Prague) Anthony Bourdain traveled with Evan Rail to Pivovar Kout na Šumavě in the ‘outskirts’ of the Czech Republic. Anthony sure seemed to enjoy that visit and the wonderful beer (e.g., Pale Lagers) that he was served there. Overall I think he was more of a beer drinker than a beer “connoisseur” but he sure seemed to appreciate ‘better’ beer.

Cheers!

 

I've seen No Reservations a million times and loved it. Didn't see the CNN show hardly ever because they didn't really show reruns off of prime time or have all day Saturday & Sunday marathons like the Travel Channel did with No Reservations. He seemed to be a guy who just enjoyed stuff. Food, places, beer, wine, whisky, whatever. If he couldn't enjoy his life enough to want to stay alive, he obviously had enormous problems. If anyone sees someone who seems like they might have big problems, please act. Say something. Do something. RIP Anthony.

 

Reliance on technology has made face to face, in person, sincere human interaction more and more rare. It would benefit us all greatly if we were to prioritize that once again. FWIW, that's what attracted me to craft beer in the first place. It had much less to do with the beer than it did with the people who were drinking it.

 

What a surprise this morning, and not the good kind. Been waiting all day to come home and have a beer for Bourdain. Its been said above, but Tony is the only celebrity I ever thought- "That guy would be really cool to have a beer with". So down to earth yet so insightful.
I read many celebrity tweets today about Bourdain. Tom Cholicchio's is the best. Look it up.

Stupid quick story. My youngest son was maybe 15 and had just read Kitchen Confidential. My middle son tried to call him to come for something stupid multiple times and he responded, from the TV room in frustration "Anthony Bourdain is fucking on TV, shut up". Ever since we have had a family joke about his **** career.